


Music of Heaven

by NanakiBH



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Bullying, Devotion, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, M/M, Meditation, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Soulmates, Speculation, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 20:24:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21185489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: After all that time, the dove was still flying above the water, searching for a place to rest its tired wings.





	Music of Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> That last khux story update freaked me out at first because it seemed so different from what I expected, but it actually gave me all the information I needed to finally put the pieces together and connect all the stray dots. I've never felt more confident in a momxu fic. This is it, folks. Enjoy.
> 
> btw, if it helps enhance your enjoyment, I listened to [Memories of Happier Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OC59-Ar0Gw) from FFXIII on loop while writing this.

There was a commotion in progress when Xigbar entered the Grey Area.

Larxene was yelling at Demyx, which wasn't an especially uncommon sight. In a second or two, Xigbar expected her to exhaust herself and leave, so he walked past them and took a seat on the couch opposite them to spectate.

“Well? It's every day! You make us listen to this garbage _ev-er-y day!_” she yelled, punctuating her words for clarity like she was talking to a small child. “Nobody wants to hear it, I guarantee you. Why are you always playing it out here? What's the problem with playing it in your own room?”

Demyx, for his own part, hadn't said a word since Xigbar arrived. Xigbar wondered how long Larxene had been going off like that without a word of acknowledgment. Demyx wasn't even really looking at her, staring vacantly somewhere down and to the side with a troubled-looking twist in the middle of his brow. It was hard to determine what that look meant, but Xigbar assumed that he was just waiting for her to stop scolding him.

“I'm talking to you, you know!”

She grabbed him by the front of his coat. A bold move for someone who was nearly a head shorter than him.

Demyx sighed and the expression on his face changed. He looked down at her with the eyes of someone who was looking at something pitiful.

He didn't have to say anything. It was like he didn't think she was even worthy of hearing what he thought. Probably, she wouldn't have listened to him anyway.

But Larxene knew when she was being looked down on. She bristled like a threatened wildcat, electricity snapping around the fist she still had clenched tightly in the front of his coat. If only Marluxia had been there, he might have been able to calm her temper. Or, more likely, she would have simply behaved more civilly in his presence. He was out on a mission, though...

Xigbar had the means to stop her with a word, but he was curious about what Demyx planned to do about the situation.

Demyx didn't do anything.

It was a valid response to her unreasonably aggressive behavior, but it certainly wasn't the way to make her calm down. If he was trying to teach her some kind of lesson with his silence, Xigbar wondered if it was worth it.

To be fair, he would have acted the same way – perhaps laughed it off and let her go blow off her steam somewhere else.

It was almost like he was _trying_ to provoke her, to see how far she would go on her own before she realized that she was the one blowing things out of proportion.

It seemed as though she'd finally reached her boiling point. She released him, but she grabbed the sitar from his hands and threw it on the ground. It hit the floor with a sound that jarred the quietness of the room. The silence that poured in to fill the following moment seemed to cast a spotlight on her, pointing a finger at her as the one responsible for the disruption.

With another sigh like that of a disappointed parent, Demyx turned his back on her as he went to retrieve his abused instrument.

That would have been a great opportunity for her to leave without consequence. Instead, unable to leave without feeling like she had the final word, she kicked him in the back of the knees while his back was turned and made him collapse to the floor.

She clicked her tongue and ran an unsteady hand through her hair. For some reason, it seemed difficult for her to look at him.

“You aren't going to last around here if you can't even stand up for yourself.”

Once she left, Demyx finally picked up his sitar. He brushed a hand over his coat, smoothing out the rumples from his fall. Apart from the one broken string that stuck out, he appeared to be calm and collected, as if nothing had happened.

“Is it fun, humiliating yourself like that?”

“Did it look like I was enjoying myself?” Demyx asked.

“Yeah. I think you enjoyed watching her spinning her wheels.” Xigbar smirked. “Am I wrong?”

For the third time, Demyx gave a sigh and shook his head. “I knew she'd react that way. But what was I supposed to do about it? I didn't wanna fight back, and nothing I could've said would've convinced her to leave it alone. It was hopeless.”

Xigbar sat forward on the edge of his seat. Loosely clasping his hands between his knees, he stared at the floor in thought. “I guess you've got a point there. She acts like she's got a bone to pick with you. If it wasn't your music, it'd probably be something else, huh? I wonder why she hates your guts so much...”

“It's not just me,” Demyx said. “I don't think she likes you, either. She's probably just too scared of you to do anything. To be honest, it seems like Marly's the only one who's free from her wrath. That's just how she is – I don't expect her to change. Everyone here... Everyone.”

Demyx remained standing there despondently, loosely holding his sitar.

He sounded...

So tired.

Just what exactly had he seen in his other life? He must have survived the keyblade war – Xigbar knew that much. He must have experienced something that transcended his memory, that surpassed his heart and burned itself onto his soul.

Xigbar lifted his head and looked up at him, trying to give him a grin.

It was strange. The world didn't feel right if Demyx wasn't smiling. It made Xigbar feel like he needed to do something about it.

“Hey, what about me?” he said.

It was probably the most selfish thing he could've said, making it about himself. They didn't know each other _that_ well. At least, he didn't _think_ they knew each other... Demyx really had no reason to think of him as an exception. Even so, it seemed to be just enough. If anything, Xigbar expected him to laugh or get angry. Instead, it seemed to give him pause, his eyes widening slightly. His lips parted, but it was another moment before he found the words to say.

“Yeah... You're right.” He clutched the neck of his sitar and held it close, smiling a faint smile. “Sorry, Xiggy. You're not like everybody else. You're the only one who's ever listened to me.”

“Ever? You gotta be exaggerating.”

He shook his head sadly. “It's the truth.”

Xigbar didn't know what to say. If he was really the only one who was willing to understand him, then he couldn't help but feel bad for him. He knew what it was like. He'd lived for a long time and encountered all sorts of people, but it was hard to find the right people.

All people. Everyone.

They were all monsters who inevitably bared their fangs.

Even him. He wasn't an exception.

But he had to.

He brandished his horns only for the sake of protecting one person's gentle light – the light that forgave his darkness.

That light.

The world's only salvation.

“Well... We're the only ones here now. If you wanna play your music, go ahead. I'll listen.”

Demyx's bright smile returned. With it, Xigbar felt something touch the place where his heart used to be. It had been ages since he'd felt anything similar. Even the brightest of lights weren't enough to move him.

Maybe it was just because Demyx wore that familiar coat. Or maybe it was because he simply looked like a ray of light to him amid so much darkness. Whatever the cause, Xigbar wondered why he hadn't noticed it sooner. It must have always been there, like it had been waiting for him to notice from the moment they met. He got the feeling that Demyx wasn't like other people.

He was toothless.

“Why are you laughing?” Demyx asked.

It slipped out...

“It's nothing,” Xigbar said.

“Oh yeah? I bet you're laughing at how stupid I looked...”

“Stupid...? Nah.” He shook his head. “Stubborn, maybe. I think you should ignore what Larxene told you. You seem tougher than her. Hold on to that stubbornness of yours and keep standing your ground. Don't let people change you. I don't think there's anything wrong with the way you are.”

With a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks, Demyx chuckled bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck. “I dunno if you needed to tell me all that... But it sure was nice to hear. Everybody else thinks I'm just stupid or lazy. But I'll keep doing my best in my own way. For me.” He smiled fondly. “And for you, Xiggy.”

Demyx didn't need to work hard for the Organization if he didn't want to. No one was working for the Organization because they _wanted_ to. As long as the future moved forward, that was all that mattered. Everything else in between felt so irrelevant. Demyx could enjoy peacefully playing his sitar as much as he wanted until the future decided what it was going to do with him.

That was for the best. It was better than taking part in any useless struggle.

As long as one person decided that there was a reason to fight, then everyone had to fight – for the ones they loved, for the things they valued, for the glory of battle, for the sweet, fleeting taste of victory... The Organization was no different. Battle consumed the hearts of all. Indeed, just as the Master had said, there was no real end to the war...

And yet.

That guy.

He was strange.

“Okay, I'm gonna play,” Demyx said, sitting down in the seat across from him. Usually, he slouched, but he sat up straight with one leg tucked underneath himself, balancing his instrument over his knee. He slid his fingers over the strings and began to play.

The sound of the sitar was indescribable. All Xigbar knew was that once Demyx began to play, he couldn't pay attention to anything else. His thoughts eluded him. He couldn't rightly say whether he liked the sound, but it wrapped around his senses and held his mind captive nonetheless. It happened so quickly, it was almost frightening, but... It was so gentle, the melody bright, sweet, and soothing.

Before he realized, his eyes were closing.

Why did anyone hate his music...?

How could anyone resist something so peaceful...?

Ah...

He was also tired.

He was so busy, he rarely had the time to even think about how tired he was.

As the sound of the sitar gently enveloped his mind, he imagined the Master; being held in his arms, resting in the safe shelter of his embrace. He was ready to entrust the rest to him. He felt like he could almost recall his face, but all that could come to mind was Demyx's face instead.

“Are you falling asleep?” Demyx asked quietly, a familiar, somewhat amused sound in his voice.

Xigbar mumbled unintelligibly. A pleasant feeling stirred in his chest.

“That's alright,” Demyx said, continuing to play. “You deserve a break, too.”

It wasn't until some time later, when Demyx finished playing, that Xigbar noticed that his sitar's broken string had somehow been healed.


End file.
